Save The Past
by TimeSage
Summary: *Chap. 10 added: The Chamber of Sages* When OoT ends, Link is sent back to relive his childhood. But when Ganondorf reappears, he must become the Hero of Time again. But this time, he has his own plan to ‘Save the Past’. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!
1. Prolouge: Memories

Me: Well, here's another shot at a Zelda story. I feel confident I'll succeed this time.

Link: Yea. Succeed in failing.

Zelda: Link, may I suggest running.

Me: (giving Link evil glare) Actually, I've improved in writing. This is going to be the first in a series. The name for the series is still undecided. (Turns to readers) Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little pest to take care of. (Runs to Link)

Link: Uh-oh. (Runs away)

Zelda: I warned you.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Legend of Zelda' or any of the characters. They belong to the genius known as Shigeru Miyamoto. I really envy him.

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**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

By DigiDestined of Time

Prologue: Memories

Link walked in the forest. He was deep in thought of what had just happened to him. The events as the Hero of Time were more than he ever imagined. From seeing things he never thought possible to destroying monsters he never knew existed; it was truly an adventure he'll never forget. Of course, there was something else that he'll never forget. That girl… he never thought that she would remove her own memories. 

~*~Flashback~*~

Link waited for his opportunity to get past the last couple of guards. He had just got back and already things were happening. Navi flew off without a sound. Sure, she was annoying. But she also helped him out a lot during the travels. Plus now he had to go back to being the kid without a fairy. 

Finally there was a break in both of the guards' line of vision. Link rushed from his hiding spot and ran as fast as he could. Success! Link walked through the arced tunnel and stopped at the end. There she was, standing in front of the window as usual. Link had always thought Zelda was many things. She was cute, sweet, and smart.

_'Duh, of course she smart. She holds the Triforce of Wisdom after all.'_

He then silently walked towards her. But like before, she heard him. 

"Wh... who are you?" she asked in a startled tone.

"Zelda, what are you talking about? It's me, Link."

"Link? Strange, that sounds somehow familiar. But I've never seen you before in my life."

"Zelda, what are you talking about?" Link was confused. "Don't you remember? It's me, Link. We defeated Ganon together."

"I don't know of any Ganon."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I never kid. I have no time for foolish tales. You're lucky I haven't already notified the guards. That's because there something about you that seems familiar. Never the less, I'd suggest you leave before I change my mind," she said in a nasty tone. 

Link was annoyed. He shot a dark glare at Zelda before leaving. 

_'I guess this is what I should have expected. Without the Spiritual Stones; without the *Hero of Time* bit; without Ganondorf, I'm just another person to her.'_

As Link walked through the archway, he turned around to look at her. He noticed she was still looking at him. She no longer had the strict expression on her face. Now it was the friendly one he remembered. 

"I'll be back," he mumbled before turning back around and leaving.

~*~End Flashback~*~

"I'm just lucky Shiro believed I was on the bridge." Shiro was the guard at the entrance to the forest. When he saw Link come through the tunnel, he became suspicious. Link said that he walked to the bridge and dosed off. Luckily for Link, it wasn't noon yet and Shiro believed him. (A.N.: If you're wondering, the whole Link-Zelda encounter happened just after dawn.)

Link's stomach rumbled. He hadn't had anything to eat all day. 

_'Hopefully its lunch time,' he thought as he walked towards Saria's house. Ever since he could remember,__ they had meals together. She was his best friend. She was probably his only friend. The other Kokiri made fun of him a lot. But after he saw how worried they were about him when he visited the forest in the future, he knew they cared about him. Even Mido. But that doesn't hide the fact Mido still relentlessly torments him every waking moment._

"Hi Saria. Sorry I'm late," he said as he came through her door. Saria smiled. 

"That's okay. Where were you anyway?"

"Uh… I was asleep on the bridge," he responded.

"I know that's not true. Even if you were on the bridge, not even you can be lazy enough to sleep till high-sun." (A.N.: I'm making an assumption Kokiri don't know time, so they use different ways to tell time. 'High-sun' means noon because the sun is really high. Get it?)

"Fine, but I won't tell you. It's actually a long story and you probably wouldn't believe me anyway," he said

"Try me," she responded. Link then proceeded to tell her about his adventures. He told her everything from when he entered the Great Deku Tree to the final battle with Ganon. He explained about the goddesses and the Triforce. He told her about all the different cities and races and people he met. He finished with his visit to Zelda.  All the time though, he felt like he was forgetting something. Luckily Saria, who was in shock for a couple of minutes after hearing this, unintentionally gave him a big hint.

"I can't believe it. The only thing though is how did you survive? I mean, I thought all Kokiri died after leaving the forest."

"I knew I forgot something!" exclaimed Link. "I forgot to tell you. I'm a Hylian." That proved too much for Saria as she fainted.

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Saria opened her eyes to realize that she was on the ground.

"Hey Saria, are you ok?" asked Link, who was kneeling beside her.

"Yea, I'm ok." Saria then got up to a seating position. She then turned to Link with a slightly shocked expression on her face. "You're not a Kokiri?"

"That's right. I suppose that explains why I didn't get a fairy." Link then looked at Saria to see her looking at the ground; a saddened expression on her face. "What's wrong Saria?" he asked in a worried tone. 

"I'm afraid that since you're a Hylian, you may feel that you may feel like being with your own kind and forget about us. Forget about me." A lone tear fell from her face. Link wiped it off and held her head so that she was looking into his eyes. 

"Saria, don't worry. The Kokiri, you especially, are still my friends. The forest is still my home. Even if I do go, I'll never forget about you guys. I promise," insisted Link. A smile found its way to Saria's face before she pulled Link into a big hug. Link returned the hug. The two best friends stayed that way for a few moments before Link's stomach began growling. 

"I guess all that traveling hasn't changed your appetite, huh?" Saria giggled as she released Link and stood up. Link gave her a playful glare before getting up too. As the two friends prepared their meal, Link thought about how nice it was to live a normal childhood again. Now he didn't have to worry about monsters or sages or anything. He could finally relax.

In a few days, he will realize how incredibly wrong he really was. 

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ME: Wow. I can't believe how this is going. For those of you who are wondering: NO! This story will not become A Link/Saria romance. In fact, I don't plan on a romance until the 2nd or 3rd story. But I'm not telling the couple.

Link: Do I have to have a girlfriend?

ME: Why? What's wrong with them?

Zelda/Saria/Nabooru/Malon/Ruto: (in angry tone) Yeah?

Link: (sweatdrops) Hey man. Can you help me out?

ME: You know these girls better than I do, but I'll try. (Turns towards girls) Just make sure he'll be okay by next chapter.

Z.S.N.M.R: (in wicked tones) Sure thing.

Link: (sarcastically) Thanks a lot D.O.T.

ME:  That's DigiDestined of Time to you. This is my way of getting back at you for earlier since I couldn't catch you. Let this be a lesson for the future ok. Goodbye everybody. (Turns to girls) Play safe.

Z.S.N.M.R: (slowly surrounding and advancing on Link) Don't worry, we will.

Link: (wimpering)

ME: Until next time…

*Stay cool and see ya later*****

Link: HHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!

*DigiDestined of Time*


	2. Deja Vu

3/27/01

ME: The ideas for this story just keep on coming. (Looks around) Hmmm… I wonder where Link is.

(In enters Link and the girls)

ME: There you guys are. I hope you didn't do anything that may raise the rating.

Malon: Nope. But we did have fun.

Link: They had fun. I was tortured.

Zelda: HA! That hardly classified as torture. Watch. (A movie projector appears out of nowhere. It plays a video showing the girls modeling lingerie down a runway. Link is tied to a chair with his eyes taped open. He is screaming his head off for them to stop. *Tape ends*)

Zelda: (in seductive voice) So… who did you like best?

Link: (faints)

ME: OOOkkkkaaaayyyyy. While we try to revive Link, enjoy the chapter.

A.N.: No, Azusasan. Zelda was not brainwashed. Let me explain the story. After OoT, Zelda sent Link back in time to relive his childhood. She sent _only _Link back to the past. Also, in this story, he was unfortunately sent to another timeline. So the people in this timeline are different than the ones in the game. They have slightly different personalities and also have no experience with Ganondorf yet. In other words, only Link knows about what the future holds when Ganondorf appears. I hope this clears things up for those of you who don't understand.

A.N.#2: This isn't really important. I just wanted y'all to know two things:

1) In this story (and most others that I write) fairies are not just ball of light. They look like humans. They have eyes, hair, clothes (mumbles: "perverts"), etc. They are surrounded by light, which is why they appear that way in the game. 

2) Since most people who are reading this have already beaten at least the first 3 dungeons in OoT, I won't go into detail in them. I'll have the Link-Zelda encounter before the Dodongo's Cavern, but besides that there won't be much until after Jabu-Jabu's Belly. The whole story is going to take place while Link's still a kid. Also, the story is going to go somewhere that was never in the game. I have big plans for this story, and you'll have to wait to see. Now, on with the fic!!!!!!!!!!!!

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

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**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 1: Déjà Vu

Link looked at the prize ahead of him. The Triforce.

"Zelda, there it is," Link told his companion. 

"You're right," she responded. She then proceeded towards the prize. But before she could get near it, a shadowy figure blocked her way. In one swift move, the mysterious figure knocked her aside, sending her flying a couple dozen feet. The figure's attention then turned to Link.

Link drew his sword as the figure approached. As it approached, the figure took shape. Finally Link realized who it was.

"Ganondorf!" Seconds after saying that, a ball of light was flying towards him. He had no time to react.

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"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Link sat up in his bed. His face was drenched in sweat. 

_'What was that all about?' he thought. __'I thought Ganondorf was gone. And besides that, the dream is different. What is going on?'_

"Link, are you ok?" a voiced asked. "I heard a scream." Link turned towards the door to his tree house. Standing at the door was none other than Saria herself.

"Yea, I'm ok," he replied. Saria didn't believe him. 

"Link, I'm your best friend. I know something's wrong. Please tell me."

Link sighed. "Do you remember the story I told you last week?" Saria nodded. "Do you remember how I said that I had those weird nightmares?" he asked again.

"You mean those nightmares are back?" Saria asked worriedly. 

Well, yes and no. It's weird, this nightmare is different than the others, but it feels just as real. Also, Ganondorf is in it," Link explained. 

"What was this dream about?" asked Saria. She really wanted to help Link out.

"Well, it started with me and Zelda in some giant room. I believe it may be somewhere inside the Temple of Light since the triforce was inside. Zelda was walking towards it when a figure appeared in front of her. It knocked her out of the way and then approached me. It was then I saw that it was Ganondorf. He shot an energy ball at me… and I woke up." 

"Maybe it's just your memory of fighting Ganondorf getting the best of you," said Saria.

"Maybe; But the last time I had a dream with both Zelda and Ganondorf in it, it was a premonition to the future. And this one felt just as real as that one did. This may be another premonition. Of course, I hope I'm wrong."

"Me too, Link; me too," Saria yarned. "It's too late to worry about it though. Let's go and get some sleep."

"Good idea, Saria." Link then reached under his bed and pulled out the covers he stored under there. It had gotten chillier than usual that night. He then pulled the covers over himself and closed his eyes.

Saria watched Link from the doorway. He looked so peaceful when he slept. She knew that Link was most likely going to leave soon. She didn't know why, but there was a feeling she had ever since that one night. She began reminiscing of a couple of weeks ago as she walked home.

*~*Flashback*~*

Saria woke up to a strange sound. It sounded like some kind of metal clanging against more metal. She peeked outside her window and took a look outside. Whatever it was, it was heading for the Great Deku Tree. Knowing that none of the Kokiri, not even Mido, went to see him without being summoned by him, she was wondering what was going on. 

Saria began walking down the narrow passage to the G.D.T. She stopped at the end and carefully looked. A strange figure was standing in front of the Great Deku Tree. She couldn't make out what it was since it was covered in black. The darkness didn't help much either. The thing seemed to be saying something to the Great Deku Tree (A.N.: Are you getting as sick and tired of reading 'Great Deku Tree' as I am writing it?). Saria couldn't make out what he was saying from her distance. Suddenly, the dark figure raised his arms. A bright glow emitted as it took shape into a ball. Then the figure shot the ball of light at the Great Deku Tree. Upon Impact, the glow soon surrounded the Great Deku Tree for a few seconds.

Saria gasped. During the attack, the light gave her a temporary glimpse at the figure from behind. It looked like a giant Kokiri. He, she guessed, was wearing shiny black armor all over his body up to his neck. The dark man spoke a little while longer before turning around. Saria ran for her house as quickly and quietly as she could. She ran through the curtain door (A.N.: The Kokiri houses have curtain-like sheets in their doorframes in this story. You know, like the ones they had in the old days. This is for privacy and warmth.) and ran onto her bed. She watched the door as a figure cast a shadow on her door. The clank of the metal began to fade as the figure left. Soon it was silent again. Exhausted, Saria collapsed on her bed and immediately went to sleep.

*~*End Flashback*~*

Saria laid down on her bed and began to think. She never really thought of that day until now. 

_'I bet that guy was Ganondorf. What was he doing here? Could it be possible that Link's story is coming true again? I better warn him in the morning.' _Saria then went to sleep.

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ME: Chapter 1 is finished!!!!!!!!!!! This is going great.

Link: (groans) What happened.

ME: You fainted after watching that tape.

Link: (scared) Are the girls still here?

ME: No, they went shopping.

Link: Good.

ME: I believe they said they were more clothes for you to see.

Link: Eep.

ME: Just kidding. Until next time…

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*


	3. It Begins Part 1

3/27/02

ME: This chapter is shorter than the others. That's because it doesn't fit with the others. This takes place the morning after where Déjà Vu 

Link: Anything else?

ME: Yeah. A lot of this chapter is from my other story. I decided to bring it back for fun.

Link: The story that failed?

ME: (groans) Yes. But that was then, this is now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda or their characters. If I did, then chaos would erupt. It would be a catastrophe!!! So thank Shigeru Miyamoto for creating them and many other Nintendo favorites. 

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

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**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 2: It Begins

The two large doors to the throne room opened. Through them a dark male walked towards the two royal figures in the thrones in front of him. He was wearing black armor and a red cape. As he finally stopped a few feet away, he kneeled down before the two figures. Finally, the king spoke.

"You must be the ambassador from the Gerudo Fortress that I've time heard about," he said. King Azankto (A.N.: I know, I suck at names.) was an average sized man. He was 6'2 and was an average weight. 

Next to him sat Zelda. She eyed the strange man suspiciously. There was something about him she didn't trust. The other day they got word the king of the Gerudos was interested about making a treaty between the Hylians and Gerudos. But they didn't know much else, not even his name.

"Yes, your highness. I hope you see no problem with that," the man responded.

King Azankto shook his head. "Actually, I'm more than exited to conduct peace between the two races, Mr…"

"Ganondorf, your highness. Call me Ganondorf."

Zelda winced a little at the name. _'Ganondorf?__ That's who that one kid was talking about. How did he know about the king of the Gerudos?'_

"Ah, Ganondorf. If you want, you can stay here. The negotiation can start in a couple of days," said the King.

"Thank you, your highness. If you don't mind, I'd like to get some stuff to bring here."

"It'll be no problem," he said. "Oh, one more thing."

"Yes, your highness?"

"You may call me Azankto."

"As you wish." With that, Ganondorf stood up, gave one final bow, and left. Once he was gone, Zelda turned towards her father. 

"Dad, there's something about that man I don't trust."

"Oh, hush Zelda. Lord Ganondorf is going to help make peace between the Gerudos and Hylians."

"How are you so sure?" Zelda was surprised to be saying this. Did she actually believe that boy?

"Enough, Zelda. I don't want you talking about Ganondorf that way any more," demanded the King.

Zelda sighed in defeat. "I'll be in the garden if you need me," she informed him before leaving.

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Ganondorf walked through his castle in the desert. He really had nothing to bring except a scroll. On it the legend of the Triforce was written. He then sat on his throne and thought about his progress. So far he had the locations of the Spiritual Stones and it was only a matter of time before they were in his procession. It was no secret that the Ocarina of Time was with the royal family. But he didn't know exactly where it was.

_'That king is such an idiot. All it took was a little flattery and he practically gave me the Triforce. As soon as I find where the Ocarina of Time is, then the Triforce will be all mine; and my wish of world domination will come true!'_

Ganondorf laughed wickedly. A laugh that filled the halls in the castle. 

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In the sacred realm, Rauru- the sage of light- watched the events of the world happening.

"It begins," was all he said.

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ME: Two chapters done in the same day. Man I'm getting good.

Link: Why wasn't I in this chapter?

ME: Because this chapter is essentially the prologue to my other Zelda story. You didn't appear until after that.

Link: Why did you stop 'Two Friends, One Hero' again?

ME: 3 reasons: 1) I got no reviews.

2) There were too many roadblocks and problems.

3) It was too complicated to continue.

Link: OOOOhhhhhhhh.

Me: Well, now that's out of the way, bye everyone. Until next time…

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*


	4. It Begins Part 2

3/31/02

ME: Wow, as of today I have 3 reviews for this story. I consider that pretty good.

Link: Yea.

ME: Thanks for agreeing with me… (mumbles) for once.

Zelda: So when is the main story start?

ME: Actually, next chapter begins Link's quest.

Link: All right!!!!!!!

A.N.: For those of you who don't know, 'It Begins' takes place the morning after 'Déjà Vu'. The same applies for this chapter. So this is what's going on with Link while Ganondorf is talking with the King. 

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 3: It Begins- Part 2

"No doubt about it. That was definitely Ganondorf," said Link. He and Saria were having breakfast at her house. Saria had just told him about the night a couple of weeks ago. Link pondered about it for a couple of minutes before concluding the answer that neither he nor Saria wanted to hear.

"What does this mean? Do you have to leave now?"

"I think so." After he said that, Saria felt at an all time low. She held her head down and had to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Saria, what's wrong?"

"I don't want you to leave. I mean, what if this time something goes wrong. I what if you…you…" Saria couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They fell down her cheeks like rivers as she sobbed quietly. 

Link didn't like seeing Saria like this. She was always the cheerful one; it hurt him to see her like this. He walked over and wrapped his arm around her. He held her in a hug and let her cry in his shoulders. Saria didn't hold back any tears, including the ones left over from a little over a week ago. After a few minutes of crying, her sobs turned into hiccups. The hiccups then turned into heavy breathing. Finally Link felt it was ok to let her go.

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ME: Okay, that was a little too kawaii.

Link: Tell me about it.

ME: Although it does give me an idea for a future conflict.

Link: Uh-oh.

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"Saria, don't worry. I'll make sure that nothing happens this time. Ganondorf will go down, I promise that." 

Saria just looked at him. Link was her best friend. She would just die if something happened to him.

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*~*That Night; At The Castle*~*

Zelda screamed as she sat up in her bed. Her breathing was frantic and her face was covered in sweat. The nightmare was still vivid in her mind. 

_'What was that all about? First that man appears from nowhere. Now I'm having nightmares. And that boy…"_

"Zelda, are you alright? I heard you scream." Zelda turned towards the source of the voice. At her bedroom door stood Impa, her hand servant.

"Oh, hi Impa. Nothing's wrong," assured Zelda. Impa didn't buy it.

"Zelda, I've known you since you were a baby. You should know that you can't trick me that easy."

Zelda gave up, knowing there was no way out of it. "I had a nightmare." Zelda didn't really want to go into details. Unfortunately Impa once again wouldn't have it.

"What was it about?" Impa asked.

(A.N.: This is for the most part taken from the game. Though, some of it is different, I can't change _everything in the game.)_

"Well… It started with me standing outside. First the sky got cloudy. Thick, dark clouds covered the sky. And then the darkness grew until it covered everything. Then there was a light. It started small, but soon it grew. Soon, the darkness was consumed in the white light. Then a figure appeared. It was a boy. He wore green clothes and had a spiritual stone with him. But then the darkness returned. A dark figure then emerged and shot a ball of energy at the boy. … The boy stopped moving. Then he turned towards me. I tried to run but I couldn't move. It then shot the ball of energy at me and then… it was over." Zelda then cried. The realism of the dream was too much for her. Impa then put a protective arm around her.

"It's ok. It was just a nightmare," Impa assured. After a few moments, Zelda finally stopped crying.

"But it felt so real," stated Zelda.

"Most dreams are like that. It doesn't matter."

"I don't know. I have this strange feeling that something is going to happen."

"Zelda, everything is ok. Just go to sleep, ok." Zelda nodded and lay back down and closed her eyes. After believing that she was asleep, Impa gave her a kiss on the forehead and left the room. Zelda, though tired, had managed to lie back down. Unfortunately, sleep had other ideas had she was soon fast asleep.

How little did Link and Zelda know that in one week, history would repeat itself.

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ME: All right!!!!!! Another chapter done. Man this is going great.

Zelda: You said it.

ME: (turns to Zelda) Hey, where's Link?

Zelda: (annoyed) What? Am I not good enough to be here?

ME: (sweatdrops) No, it's ok. You can stay. (thinking) _'Note to Self: never get on Zelda's bad side.'_

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*


	5. The Garden Meeting

3/31/02

ME: Only 4 reviews?!! Is this story really that bad?

Zelda: I don't know? It seems ok to me?

ME: Me too. Oh well. I will still continue on this fic. I won't give up.

Zelda: That's the spirit.

ME: Thanks. Like I said in a previous Author Note, I'm skipping some of the game. This chapter is taking place during the Link-Zelda encounter after the Great Deku Tree and before Dodongo's Cavern. 

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 4: The Garden Meeting

Link ran as fast as he could through Hyrule field. The sun was getting ready to set and he didn't want to start his adventure by fighting stalchildren. Navi was fast asleep in his hat. Link appreciated his new fairy. She didn't talk nearly as much as her counterpart. The sky began to glow a bright orange color. Link picked up the pace to the castle town. 

He ran through the drawbridge just as the sun disappeared through behind the mountains of Gerudo Valley. Link sighed in relief as the drawbridge closed right behind him. He sat down with his back to one of the buildings and decided to sleep. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep.

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"Hey kid, wake up!" yelled a voice that startled Link awake. Link looked up to see it was the guard at the entrance to the city who had woken him up. "Kid, you have been there all night. Maybe you should go home," the guard spoke.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess you're right," Link said. He got up and walked through the city. 

He once again met Malon. She hasn't changed at all. She was still nice, cheerful, and still had a nice singing voice. _'Not to mention she's kind of cute. Wait, where did that come from?!' Link blushed a slight shade of red at this thought. Luckily for him, he was already at the moat of the castle so nobody saw him._

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ME: Another conflict for another story has just presented itself.

Link: What does it have to do with Saria and Mal… wait!!! You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are thinking, are you?!!

ME: Maybe I am, Linky-boy. Maybe I am.

Link: (groans) Why do you present these things _way before you use them; to make me suffer?_

ME: Partially yes. But also it's because I feel like building up to something rather than having it appear out of nowhere. Now, back to the story!

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Nighttime came and went, and the egg Malon gave Link hatched. After using it to wake up Talon (he still wondered how such a lazy man could run so fast.) Link stacked the boxes and went through the hole.

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Link approached the courtyard once again. He was second guessing his decision of visiting Zelda again.

_'What am I doing? The last time I visited her, she was annoyed at me. But on the other hand, it's important I see her. Besides, she was smiling when I left. That smile…ah! Snap out of it Link!' After debating himself over the subject, Link decided to go see her. With one final sigh, Link approached the princess._

Zelda was to preoccupied to notice Link. Her mind was processing all that was happening. First that boy, Link, managed to get past the guards. He then told her stuff that at the time seemed unimportant. But after he left, Ganondorf actually appeared. Then the nightmares started. What was going on?

Link was already at the foot of the steps. Zelda hasn't even acknowledged his appearance. Link, growing impatient, cleared his throat to catch her attention. This startled Zelda enough for her to jump about a foot in the air. She turned around to see who it was, thinking it was a guard, or maybe Impa. She wasn't expecting who it was.

"What? It… It's you," Zelda stuttered.

"Ah, so you remember me." 

"Yes, I do." Zelda sighed. A troubled expression was sketched on her face. An expression that didn't go unnoticed by Link.

"Are you ok?" asked Link. There was some worry in that question.

"Actually, no; thing's aren't going ok." 

"Why? What's wrong?" Link asked, still worried for Zelda.

Zelda began walking towards the middle of the courtyard while explaining the events. Link following her close behind. "Well, everything's going wrong. First, your mysterious visit. Then there's Lord Ganondorf's appearance…"

"Ganondorf is here!" Link yelled a little too loud. A guard appeared in the courtyard and in one swift move had a sword up against Link's throat.

"Intruder!" he yelled. "Step away from Princess Zelda and follow me of the consequences will be…"

"Sir Harnork (A.N.: I haven't improved with names), this boy has my permission to be here. Leave him be and return to your post," ordered Zelda.

"But your highness…"

"You dare defy my orders?" Zelda asked in a stern voice. The guard shook his head. He pulled the sword away from Link's throat and walked back out of the courtyard. Link sighed in relief.

"Thanks. I owe you one," said Link.

"No problem," Zelda replied, the sternness in her voice gone. _'Why am I protecting him? I mean, he did trespass *twice* into the castle. But there's something about him I can trust. Something about him that seems familiar.' _

"So, you said that Ganondorf is here?"

"Yes, look for yourself," Zelda said, motioning Link to the window. Link didn't know what to think. Even after Saria's story, he still hoped that Ganondorf was gone. That it was all a weird dream. Link looked through the window, only to look into the eyes of a kneeling Ganondorf. Link jumped back in shock. Unfortunately, this caused him to fall down the steps.

"Are you all right?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Link assured while getting up.

"Link, how did you know about Ganondorf? I mean, before he visited the castle." 

"Well, maybe you should sit down, because this is going to take a while." Zelda took Link's advice and sat down among the flowers in the middle of the courtyard. Link sat down across from her. "Ok, where to begin."

Link told the story pretty much the same way he told Saria a little over a week ago. The expression of pure shock he got from Zelda was also similar to that of Saria's. 

"You mean to tell me that Ganondorf is indeed after the Triforce?" asked Zelda. Link nodded. "And he also knows about the Ocarina of Time?" 

"Maybe. He saw me, and he isn't one to underestimate."

"Well, I thought he was after the Triforce. But now I don't know what to do about it." 

"Don't worry," said Link, "I have an idea. Do you happen to know where you would go if the castle was attacked?"

"No. Only Impa knows that. The last time it was attacked, I was only 2."

"Well see if you can find out. I'm going to get the other Spiritual Stones. I'll try to get here as soon as possible."

"What's the plan?" asked Zelda.

"I'll tell you when I return." With that, Link got up. As he was leaving, Zelda called out to him. 

"Wait, Link!" she called. Link stopped and turned around. Zelda was writing something on a couple of pieces of paper. She then finished and handed him the papers. "Show these to the guards. One is for the guard at Kakariko Village."

"What's the other one for?"

"For the guards that are here. That way, you can visit me anytime without worrying about getting caught," explained Zelda. Link blushed a little at the 'visit me anytime' concept. 

"Thanks, I better go. Goodbye, Zelda."

"Goodbye Link."

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Link looked at the setting sun from the edge of Hyrule field. He looked again at the notes that Zelda; esp. the one that invited him into the castle.

"You really like her don't you?" joked Navi, who had until then been quiet. She was flying in front of Link's face.

"What do you mean?" Link asked, blushing a little bit. It was enough to be noticed by his fairy. 

"Ooohhhhhhh, look at that blush. You have a crush on the Princess of Hyrule," she joked again, a grin appearing on her face.

"Navi cut it out! Let's go to Lon Lon Ranch. It's getting dark and it's too late to go anywhere else."

"Or maybe you just have a crush on Malon too, huh," Navi joked, her grin getting wider.

"That's it, you," Link said as he reached for the blue fairy. She managed to avoid him and flew towards the ranch; Link in close pursuit. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ME: Wow, I completed this whole chapter in one day! 

Link: (sarcastically) Congratulations.

ME: I'll get you for that, but first, where were you.

Link: Hiding from the girls.

ME: You know Zelda is right behind you.

Zelda: (seductively) Hi Link.

Link: Uh-Oh.

ME: I'll leave you two alone now. You mind doing the ending for me.

Zelda: (holding on to Link) No problem. 

Link: Don't leave me.

ME: (walking away) Have fun you two.

Zelda: (giggling) We will. Good-bye. Until next time…

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*


	6. The New Plan

4/9/02 

ME: SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the wait. I've been enjoying my week off school. 

Zelda: Maybe we should go on a vacation, Link. 

Link: (tied and gagged to chair) MMMMMPPPPHHH!!!!!!!!

Me: Uuuhhhh… yeah o.O. Maybe we should go to the…

Malon: (walks in) Step away from Link you wh***!!!!!!!!!

Zelda: Make me b*****!!!!!!!!!!!!

ME: O_O … Somebody *_please* start the fic now!!!!!!!!!!!! _

A.N.: I'm skipping more of the story. This takes place after Jabu-Jabu's Belly. I know it seems that I'm rushing things, but the temples have pretty much nothing to do with the main plot. If you want to read what you've already accomplished, find another story.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda or its characters. If I did, I would actually _let Link talk in the game -.-._

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 5: The New Plan

"Get out of my way!" yelled Link as he destroyed yet another Stalchild. It was almost dawn and Link was trying to get to the entrance to the castle town. Unfortunately, the monsters were having different ideas. Finally, after defeating another couple of monsters with a spin attack, the light of the sun rising appeared over the mountains, forcing the monsters to retreat back underground. 

Link dropped to his knees in exhaustion. Rushing through the final two dungeons really took it out of him. He made sure not to get anything but the essentials to save time. He got the magic ability and the three spells (A.N.: Don't ask me how he got Nayru's Love. Even I don't know. Just go with it, ok?). He also got some bottles and filled each with either red or green potion. Also, Link bought a bow and arrow set (A.N.: I know Link can't get a bow as a kid in the game, but I need him to have one for later. Just think of it as one of the differences between the dimensions).

As he stood back up, Link got a bad feeling inside. He immediately knew what was wrong. _'Today is the day,' he thought. He quickly ran towards the drawbridge and to the castle._

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Link walked to the guard at the gate. He looked at the clock on top of the gate. It was almost noon and he didn't have much time left.

"Halt!" yelled the guard. "Only people with business with a member of the Royal Family can enter."

"I have a meeting to see Princess Zelda. This note should help." Link handed Zelda's note to the guard, who immediately examined it.

*This is Link. He has my permission to see me due to some important news. Don't give him any trouble. ~Zelda* the note read.

"This is peculiar. This is the Princess's handwriting. I swear that girl gets more and more difficult to understand," murmured the guard. "Show this note to one of the guards at the door to the castle and they'll lead you to where the princess is." The guard then opened the gate.

"Thank you," said Link as he walked to the castle. After a couple of more encounters with the guards, Link made it to the door. He had a good idea that Zelda was at the courtyard, but he wasn't sure. Like the others, Link showed this guard the note. 

"Follow me," was all he said after reading the note. He then led Link into the castle.

Link was amazed at what he saw in just the entry rooms. The walls were made of marble and sparkled. Silk drapes covered the walls. The ceiling was covered with pieces of mirrors that reflected everything in the room. Gold chandeliers hung from the ceilings and lit up the rooms. Rugs made from some of the finest materials ran through the many halls. Stained glass glowed bright in the sunlight, making the room glow in many colors. Link wanted to see the rest of the rest of the castle, but the guard told him to stay and he would get the Princess. 

Link sat down and patiently waited for Zelda to come. He knew time was of the essence. The bad feeling he had wasn't going away. He really wished he knew when exactly Ganondorf would attack. 

Suddenly the doors opened and Zelda walked out. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit. Instead, she had a blue dress with short-sleeves and went down to her ankles. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that went down to her shoulders. There were no signs of royalty on her. Link was shocked at her new look. This was the first time he saw her dressed like any other person. And she looked great, also.

"Uh, Link? Hello Link? Are you there?" Zelda asked while waving her arms in front of his face in an effort of snapping him out of the trance he was in.

"Huh… oh, hi," Link said, snapping out of his trance. He couldn't help but blush when he realized how long he'd been staring at her. Zelda, thankfully, had turned around to let the guard know she'd be ok. Navi, on the other hand…

"Aahh. Is there anything cuter than a first, and second, crush?" teased Navi, who was now flying a little above Link. She had whispered this so the others couldn't hear.

"Shut up, Navi," Link said in a harsh wisper.

"Oh who is that?" The question asked by Zelda stopped the 'would be' fight.

"That's right. You haven't met Navi yet, have you?" Link realized.

"No, I haven't. Is she one of the mystical fairies of the forest that I've heard so much about?"

"Sure am," Navi replied this time.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Navi," said Zelda.

"You too," replied Navi.

"So, did you guys finish getting the Spiritual Stones?" Zelda asked. Link and Navi nodded. "Good, then you can finally tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"Later. We need to find a place to talk in private first," said Link.

"Let's go to the library. It's one of the last places daddy will look for me in," Zelda said, giggling a little. The three then set off down one of the connecting corridors. Zelda led the way, with Link and Navi following close behind. The trip was pretty much silent, besides the sound of their feet on the floor. Finally, Link broke the silence.

"Zelda, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do you want to ask?"

"Uh… why are you not wearing your royal clothes?"

"Oh, that's easy. I don't like wearing those clothes. I don't even like being a princess."

Link stopped dead in his tracks when she said that last sentence. "You don't?"

"No," Zelda replied. She stopped and looked at him. "People think that being a royal is the best thing in the world. Well it's not. I always have to be polite and obedient. I must always use the most proper of manners or I'll get in big trouble. Also, the only kids I can play with are the children of other royal families. They're always so stuck up and boring. I would give anything to be a regular kid."

"Wow, I never thought of it that way," Link said. After a short pause, they continued their trek down the corridors. After another minute of walking, they arrived at the library.

The library itself was huge. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with books. Book shelves, all full of stories, surrounded most of the inside. In the middle there were tables long and small. The room was lit by more gold chandeliers (A.N.: I know the people of Hyrule don't have electricity in the game, but I say they do in this story). Link and Zelda sat down at one of the smaller tables.

"So, now will you tell me the plan?" asked Zelda.

"Sure. First, do you feel like something's' wrong?" Link asked. Zelda nodded. "I do too. I remember feeling the same way the day Ganondorf attack before."

"So he's going to attack today?" asked Zelda.

"I believe so. That why we have to move fast. Did Impa tell you where you go if there was an attack?"

"Yes. She said that there's a secret room in her house. She wouldn't tell me where, though."

"Good. Okay, here's the plan. It's not the best one, but it'll buy us some time. First, you keep the Ocarina of Time."

"But-"

"If Ganondorf knows about our plan, then he'll think I'll get the Ocarina. If you keep it and I keep the Spiritual Stones, then he can't open the Sacred Realm, even if he captures one of us."

"Makes sense to me," said Navi.

"I guess you're right," Zelda agreed. "But how will we get rid of him?" 

"That's the hard part. We need to meet up after a while, which is why I needed to know where you'd be. We need to somehow get to the Triforce before he does and stop him. We need the sages in case he beats us to it." Link began to ponder something. "Hey Zelda, do you know how the sages are awakened?"

"No, I don't."

"I do." Link and Zelda looked up at Navi. "The Great Deku Tree once told me a legend. 

"After Hyrule was made, the different races began to develop. But as time went on, the Hylians, Gerudos, Kokiri, Zoras, Sheikah, and Gorons came to be. Unfortunately, they all had different beliefs and quarreled a lot. The quarrelling soon turned into fights. Fights then became wars. The land made for peace soon wasn't. 

"Upon seeing this, the supreme goddesses (Din, Nayru, and Farore) decided to stop this. They flew down to the land like three shooting stars. Upon seeing the goddesses' arrival, the war quickly stopped. The goddesses asked the people why they were fighting like this. After, hearing the reason was that they had different beliefs, Nayru flew back to the heavens. After a short while, she returned from the skies. In her arms she held the Book of Mudora. She ordered that all the races shall believe in one thing. With that, the legend of the Triforce was made. Before leaving, the goddesses called forth 6 people, one from each race. The leaders of each race stepped forward, just as the goddesses expected. They announced there people as the first sages. Sages were to be the guardians of the Triforce as well as their respective races. 

"The goddesses weren't done yet. Using their powers, they created the temples as a kind of barrier to evil. Each temple was a gateway to the Sacred Realm. It was the sages' job to protect the temples from evil. After creating the Triforce, the sages were sent to the Sacred Realm. It was here that they were given their powers. Every couple of century's new sages took over the role of the other ones. Everything went smoothly. Until… 

"A few years ago the new sages were to be awakened. But something went wrong. All but one never got the message, and without the combined strength of all six, the Triforce is left defenseless."

"Wow. Now it all makes sense," said Link.

"What makes sense?" asked Zelda.

"Well, I was wondering why those certain people were chosen. It's because of their status seen by others. Saria isn't the leader of the Kokiri, but she's the most respected. A lot of the Kokiri see her as a leader. Darunia is the leader of the Gorons. Ruto is the princess of the Zoras and is popular with them. Impa is the last of the Sheikah. Nabooru is 2nd in command of the Gerudos, next to Ganondorf. But since he's the King of Evil, she technically is the leader. And Rauru must be the one who heard the call." (A.N.: I didn't realize this pattern until _*after* I said that the leaders stepped forward. It's cool how I figured this out, huh? ^_^)_

"Neat," said Zelda. "Now we know how to awaken the Sages. How are we still going to stop him?"

"Hopefully we can get some light arrows. They leave Ganondorf paralyzed for a short time. Hopefully your powers will develop and you can trap him in the Dark Realm."

"But what if Zelda's powers don't awaken?" asked Navi.

"We can try to wish Ganondorf away. But in order to do that we need to get to the Triforce first."

"And if we lose on both counts?" asked Zelda.

"… Then Hyrule is doomed," Link responded in monotone. He and Zelda looked disappointed at this thought. Silence filled the room for a while.

"Then we just have to make sure he doesn't win," cheered Navi. The silence was too much for her and she wanted to cheer up Link and Zelda.

"Navi's right. We can defeat Ganondorf. I won't let him gain control over Hyrule," said Zelda.

"Right. Let's get h-." Link couldn't finish what he was going to say. For at that moment a large explosion shook the castle, knocking Link and Zelda out of their seats and unconscious.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ME: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! I left you with a cliffhanger. Well, the next chapter won't be up for a while. I'm leaving tonight to go to Dayton, Ohio. I have a big Drum Line competition from Thurs-Sunday. So you'll be stuck here for a while. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*


	7. Ganondor'f Attack and Link's Courage

5/20/02

ME: Sorry for the long wait. I've had writers block, homework, and much, much more. Oh well, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda or its characters. Never have. Never will.

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 6: Ganondorf's Attack and Link's Courage

Impa sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She was in the office she worked in whenever she didn't watch the princess. Boy, did she hate doing paperwork. Whenever she wasn't watching Zelda, sleeping, or eating, she was in charge with this. A huge pile of bills, letters, and taxes were on her desk. It was her job to see if any might be disapproved by the king. If they were ok, then she had to stamp them with the royal seal, seal them in an envelope, and put them in the 'out' box in which an official will later take them. 

_'I don't see why his highness has me do this. He could easily hire somebody else to do it. Or at least hire somebody to help me.'_

Impa sighed as she stamped another bill payment and put it in the 'out' box. After the first 125 papers, this job starts to get tedious.

::BOOM::

A massive explosion violently shook the building. The quake threw Impa out of her chair and onto the ground. She could hear the sound of breaking glass and falling items around her. Finally, the shaking stopped.

Impa picked herself off the ground and inspected the room. Papers were scattered everywhere. Pictures were all off the wall. Broken glass glistened on the floor. In short, the room looked like a disaster zone. 

_'I'll get somebody to clean it up. First, I better check on King Azankto and Zelda.'_

Impa carefully walked to the door. Smoke filled the hallway, affecting her vision. Suddenly, several guards stormed down the hall. Impa managed to stop a couple of them as they ran by.

"What's going on?" she asked them.

"Monsters are attacking the castle," one guard replied. "We believe that they belong to Lord Ganondorf."

Impa was shocked to hear this. "What makes you believe that they belong to them?" she asked.

The other guard sighed. "Because we heard an explosion in the conference room before they appeared."

Impa's face turned pale. "King Azankto? Is he all right?"

"We believe so. We got a report saying Ganondorf left the room after he attacked his highness, probably thinking that he was dead. He's alive though. He's currently leaving the castle. May I suggest you do the same."

"Not without Zelda. Do you know where she is?"

"Yes," the first guard replied. "Last time I saw her, she was heading down one of the east corridors with some strange boy."

"Thanks." With that, Impa hurried down to the east wing. _'Where could she be? If she's went to get away from everyone, she'd go to someplace she hates. Where could that b…' Impa suddenly stopped at looked at a large door at the end of the hall. __'The library, of course!'_

::Boom::

Another explosion threw Impa off her feet. The shaking soon subsided. Impa got back up and quickly ran into the library. Upon entry, Impa feared for Zelda's safety. The floor was covered with an ankle-deep pile of books. Bookshelves were toppled over. The place looked 10 times worse than her office. Impa carefully walked through the room, keeping an eye out for any signs of the princess. Suddenly, she saw a piece of Zelda's dress almost completely covered with books.

"Zelda!" cried Impa. She quickly ran to the fallen princess and began throwing books off of her. As she was clearing the books off the princess, Impa noticed the hand of another person. She cleared the books off the princess first, then the person next to her. She noticed it was a young boy, probably a little older than Zelda. Impa presumed it was the boy Zelda sometimes talked about seeing in her dreams.

"Kids! Kids, wake up!!" yelled Impa. After some shaking and more yells, the boy began to come to. 

"Uhhhh… what happened?" he asked.

"There's an attack on the castle going on. But first, who are you?"

"My name is Link," he managed to reply. He then saw Zelda's unconscious body on the floor. "… Zelda? Is she ok Impa?"

"I hope so. I found you both unconscious under a pile of bo- … how did you know my name?"

"Long story."

::BOOM::

"Forget about it," said Impa. "We better get you two out of here." She then picked up Zelda and hurried out of the room, Link following close behind.

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"Weak, impudent fools," taunted Ganondorf as he killed yet another couple of guards. Guards were pouring into the hall he was in and Ganondorf picked them off one by one with multiple energy blasts. Finally, growing bored, he blew away one of the walls and continued on his search for the Ocarina of Time. 

_'If only the King wasn't able to escape. This would be a lot easier.'_

As he hovered down the hall, Ganondorf saw an Iron Knuckle kill another guard. Upon seeing Ganondorf, the Knuckle immediately bowed to his master.

"Continue," ordered Ganondorf with a nod of approval. The Iron Knuckle nodded and proceeded to slay another knight. 

Ganondorf then turned around to continue his search, only to look face to face with Impa.

~*~*~

Impa hurried down the hall. Zelda was still unconscious in her arms. Link was running behind her. As they passed through the halls, they saw more and more corpses. Impa was glad Zelda wasn't awake to see this. Impa had seen this many times before, at it still upsets her to see it. Luckily, she wasn't affected by it as much as she used to be. Link, on the other hand, hasn't seen anything like this before. He had killed things before, but they always disappeared. He's never seen anything this… this hard to take in. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Quick, down this hall," said Impa as they approached a separate hall. Upon turning, they saw two things they definitely didn't want to see: An Iron Knuckle and Ganondorf himself. Worst of all, they were looking right back at them.

_'Shit!' "Run!!!!!" yelled Impa. She and Link immediately took off down the previous hall. Ganondorf, after quickly telling the Iron Knuckle to continue his work, flew after them._

Explosion after explosions filled the empty halls and Ganondorf continuously fired at the fleeing figures. One blast missed Link by inches. Finally, Link thought up a plan. Quickly reaching behind him, Link grabbed a bag attached to his shoulder strap and untied it. He pulled out a bottle with a glowing green light inside. It was the spell 'Farore's Wind'. (A.N: I know a bag sounds ridiculous, but do you have a better idea of where he keeps all those items? *silence* I thought so.) Quickly, he threw it behind him. The glass broke, spreading a green light for a few seconds.

"What was that?" asked Impa as they turned down another hall, Ganondorf right on their tail.

"You'll see," replied Link. He reached in his bag and pulled out another identical bottle (A.N.: Let's just say that the spells regenerate). The second they rounded another corner he grabbed Impa's arm and threw the bottle at his feet. The light engulfed them and in a matter of seconds, the three were gone. 

Ganondorf looked down the hall the trio had just turned down. They were nowhere in sight. _'How could that be? They just disappeared.' Ganondorf cursed at letting them escape._

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Impa looked at where they were. The holes and burn marks in the walls told her they were already here. 

"How did we get back here?" she asked.

"Farore's wind," explained Link as he began hurrying back the way they came from.

"You mean you're able to harness that spell?" asked Impa while catching up with Link. This question startled Link.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"Don't you know? Only those chosen by destiny can successfully use the spells of the goddesses."

"The Hero of Time wouldn't happen to be one of those by any chance, would they?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Why do you ask?"

"Because I was wondering why I was able to use those."

Impa stopped dead in her tracks after he said that. _'Is he saying he's…is he the…'_

"Hurry up. Ganondorf could by coming down that way any moment," called Link, who was already at the end of the hall.

"Huh… oh right," replied Impa as she ran down the hall, careful not to drop Zelda.

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"… and turn down here," said Impa.

"Where are we going?" asked Link. Impa has been navigating them the last couple of minutes, but hasn't said where they were going.

"To the royal stables," she replied. After another couple of halls, they went through a door and went outside. Things didn't look all that nice out here either. Dark clouds covered the afternoon sun. The lightning cracked and the thundered roared. Rain poured from the sky. Suddenly, Zelda started to stir, then awaken.

"I- Impa?" she managed to speak.

"Zelda, are you ok?" asked Impa.

"I don't think so. My whole body hurts." Suddenly, Zelda realized something. "Link? Is he ok?"

"I'm over here," he replied. Zelda turned her head and saw him next to her. She immediately felt relieved knowing he was safe.

"How about we continue this once we get out of this rain," suggested Impa, who was getting wet.

"Good idea," replied Link, who was also soaked.

A little down the way Link could see the stables. As soon as they entered, Impa opened the large doors in which the doors go through. She then walked towards a large, white horse. Link recognized it as the horse that Impa and Zelda rode on in the alternate timeline.

"Help me get the princess up," said Impa, who was already on the horse. Link helped her lift Zelda up, who took a seat behind Impa.

"Where's Link going to sit?" asked Zelda. Impa thought about it for a few seconds; then she got an idea.

"Link, you can take Scarlet," said Impa while pointing to a horse. It was white colored and was not too small. It was probably in its teens. "Scarlet is Zelda's horse."

"Are you sure its ok," asked Link.

"Sure," replied Zelda. Link carefully reached his hand out to the horse's nose and gently petted it. Scarlet whinnied and licked Link's hand.

"Hey, I think she likes me," said Link. He carefully mounted Scarlet, who didn't stir.

"All set?" asked Impa. Link and Zelda both nodded. "Then let's go." The two horses immediately took off through the doors and back outside.

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Ganondorf was inside, continuing his search for the group. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a horse whinnying, followed by horse trampling. He blew a hole in the wall next to him, which happened to lead outside, and went through. He looked to his side to barely see a couple of horses ride past him and to the gate.

"Curses!!" he yelled as he flew into the stable to retrieve his own horse. He quickly mounted and was soon out the door and after the fleeing princess.

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Impa, Zelda, and Link pushed their horses as fast as they would go. They flew through Castle Town, nearly hitting a couple of citizens, and over the drawbridge. Unfortunately, it was up to prevent the monsters from entering.

"Where is that blasted guard?" growled Impa. She looked left and right for the guard that was supposed to man the drawbridge. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe he went to help the others," suggested Link.

"Probably," said Impa. She quickly dismounted the horse and walked to the device that controlled the drawbridge. She released the lever, letting it lower. As she walked back to the horses, she heard something. It was the sound of hooves on cobblestone. Impa looked across town, only to see Ganondorf's horse coming their way.

"Shit," muttered Impa. She quickly mounted the horse and took off. Link, who also saw him, followed close behind.

They rode across the drawbridge and onto Hyrule field. Suddenly, a ball of energy shot through the air, missing them by inches.

"I'll distract him. You two go ahead," said Link.

"No way! You're no match for him," said Impa.

"I know that, but it will buy you guys more time. It's better if he gets one of us instead of all of us."

"But what about you?" Zelda asked worriedly. But Link had already stopped.

"Protect the Ocarina of Time, Zelda! I'm counting on you!" was the last thing he said before turning around.

"Be careful Link," whispered Zelda.

"Protect yourself, kid," said Impa. They then continued to ride.

~*~*~

Ganondorf put all his attention on the horse Impa and Zelda were on, totally ignoring Link. He began charging up an energy ball and raised his hand.

"Say goodbye," he said. But before he could fire, his horse jerked wildly, sending his shot wild and throwing him to the ground. Ganondorf picked himself off the ground and looked at his horse. It was laying on the ground and had a arrow sticking out of his leg. Growling, Ganondorf quickly look around and saw somebody. It was that same boy from earlier. He was on a horse with a bow in his hand. Ganondorf turned to where Zelda and Impa were, only to see that they were nowhere to be seen.

"NOOO!!!" he yelled angrily. He shot a dark glare at Link, who was now standing and returning the glare. "You made a big mistake kid!!" he yelled. He then quickly charged an energy ball and shot it a Link. Link quickly side-jumped the attack and shot an arrow at Ganondorf. He only grinned and, to Link's surprise, caught it in midair. Before he could react, Ganondorf threw the arrow back at him at a blazing speed. The arrow struck Link's leg, causing him to drop to his knees in pain.

Ganondorf saw his opportunity and began charging up his attack. Swirls of dark light swirled and combined, making a giant ball of pure power. 

"This is what you get for messing with me!!!!" yelled Ganondorf as he sent the ball towards Link. Link knew there was no escaping this, and watched in horror as the attack flew towards him. The attack hit, causing a massive explosion that sent Link flying. He screamed in pain as the attack took its toll. He landed on the ground, unconscious.

Ganondorf smirked as he saw Link's lifeless body laying there. He walked towards him to see if he was indeed dead. Since Link was on his stomach, Ganondorf couldn't see him breathing. Instead, something else caught his eye. In Link's pocket, Ganondorf swore he saw something shimmer. He reached in and pulled out three jewels: one green, one red, one blue.

_'Finally, the Spiritual Stones are mine! But they are useless without the Ocarina of Time. I must find the princess.' Ganondorf walked back to his horse and pulled the arrow out of his leg. The wound was painful, preventing the horse from running. __'I guess we'll have to continue the search another day.' Ganondorf then quickly got back on his horse and walked back to the castle._

Scarlet slowly trotted over to Link. She nuzzled him, trying to get him awake. When he didn't, she did what she was trained to do. When a royal horse sees an injured person, the horses are trained to call for help. So that's what she did. She began whinnying as loud as she could. 

Nearby, a person was riding through Hyrule Field, trying to find the cause of the explosions, when he heard the call. He turned his horse to the direction of the noise. There, he saw Scarlet standing next to an unconscious Link.

_'This horse is of royal status, I'm sure of that. And I remember that boy. He looks like he's in bad shape. I better take them with me.'_

The man tied Scarlet to his horse. He then carefully picked Link up and laid him onto his horse. He then mounted his horse, and began traveling to his home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ME: Who is the mysterious man? You'll have to wait until next cha-

Malon: You monster!!!! You hurt Link!!!!

Zelda: If he dies I'll…

ME: Don't worry, he'll be okay. 

Zelda: He better be. Because if he isn't… (*points to Saria/ Malon/ Ruto/ Nabooru*)

S/M/R/N: (*standing next to a large variety of weapons*)

ME: O_O; _'Note to self: Never get on *any* of the girls' bad side.'_

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*


	8. Hideouts, Reunions, and Kidnappings

8/31/02

ME: Sorry for the long wait everybody. I had a busy summer. Plus, I had some problems with this chapter. But, I'm proud of the way it turned out.

Zelda: Will Link be ok?

ME: For the millionth time: YES!

Zelda: Just making sure.

ME: ::sigh:: Anyways, If you haven't noticed, I changed my penname. I'm now TimeSage. I've also changed my writing style a little bit. As soon as I get more time, I change the previous chapters.

Response to reviews:

NPC Gary: Yea, I let Ganondorf take the stones. I have a really good reason too. I can summarize it into one word, what was it? Oh yeah, PLOT!!!! BTW: I'm a guy!

Death-Demon-Xero: Thanks for pointing out that mistake. I'll probably change that ending, but for now let me explain what happened. Link was too distracted with the arrow going through his leg to notice Ganondorf (honestly, I don't see how anybody can divert their attention from their leg if it has a big arrow sticking through it). By the time he put his attention back to Ganondorf, he had already finished charging his attack, and wasted no time throwing it. Link couldn't move out of the way (leg hurts too much) and had no time to search for Nayru's Love; thus, he was knock unconscious by the attack. I know it's kind of stupid. Oh well.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. 'Nuff said.

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 7: Hideouts, Reunions, and Kidnappings

Link regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to look at his surroundings. He was lying on a bed in some kind of room. A large blanket was laid over him.

"About time you woke up," chimed a familiar voice.

"Navi?" Link asked. He looked above him to see his fairy hovering above him. "Where am I?" he asked as he attempted to get up. But as soon as he moved his right leg, an excruciating pain shot through his body.

"No, don't move," cried another familiar voice. "You injuries haven't healed yet." 

Link turned towards the direction of the voice. As he thought, Malon was standing there at the doorway.

"Malon? Where am I?"

"You're at the ranch, silly," she replied. "Well, to be more precise, you're in one of the guest rooms (A.N: Yes, I know there aren't any extra rooms in the game.). My dad found you in the middle of Hyrule Field, badly injured and unconscious." Malon sighed. "What's going on Fairy Boy?"

Link sighed in frustration. He didn't believe Malon should know about what's going on.

"Nothing, I was just attacked by stalchildren," he lied. It didn't work though.

"Somehow, I have a hard time believing that. What really happened?" she asked again, more sternly this time.

Link gave another sigh. "Fine, if you really want to know, I'll tell you. But you must promise me you won't tell *_anybody* what I'm about to tell you."_

"No problem," she assured him as she walked over and sat down next to him.

And with that, Link told her of what was happening. Of course, he only told her of the events in the current timeline. He felt that it would be best to leave out the fact that he experienced this (or at least _*some* of this) before._

"Wow, is that true?" Malon asked.

"Yea, it is."

"Wow." That was the only. 

"Wait, you believe me?"

"Oh course, Fairy Boy," she replied. "Sure it seems kind of weird, but with all that's happening lately, what isn't?"

Link chuckled. "You know, you're wiser than most people give you credit for."

"Thanks," Malon said, blushing a little. She then got up on her feet. "I'm going to start on lunch. I'll bring a bowl of soup up to you, ok?"

"Thanks," Link said politely. Malon smiled in response and walked out of the room. After she left, Link laid down on the bed. His leg was still hurting. He knew Malon was right; he couldn't go anywhere for some time now. He could only lay low and hope for the best.

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Meanwhile, Impa and Zelda were hiding inside an underground shelter, hidden behind the giant bookcase in Impa's house (original, huh). The shelter itself wasn't much. It consisted of a table (with chairs), a cauldron which hung over an area for a fire, several cots for sleeping on, and a few shelves. Impa was busy cooking a kind of stew in the cauldron. She was wearing the usual outfit, except she also had a coat on. Zelda was sitting at the table, looking upset. She was wearing a simple green dress. Her shoulder-length hair fell freely. She was depressed, mostly out of worry for Link. It's been two days since Ganondorf attacked the castle. She was confident her father was ok. It was Link she wasn't sure about. There hasn't been any word from him since he left them to stop Ganondorf. 

She prayed he would be ok. He was her first real friend. He was her only real friend.

"Zelda, lunch is ready," called Impa as she approached the princess, a bowl of stew in each hand. She placed one of the bowls in front of Zelda, and then placed one in front of herself.

Zelda look at the stew for a second, then pushed the bowl of stew away. "I'm not hungry," she muttered. She then got up and began walking towards her cot.

"You're worried about the boy, aren't you," Impa stated more than asked. Zelda stopped in her tracks. Thoughts of Link raced through her mind, and her head hung lower.

"…Yes," she admitted.

"I wouldn't worry, there's something about that boy that I don't understand. But something tells me he'll be ok," Impa said, attempting to cheer up the young princess.

Zelda turned to Impa, a small smile tugged along her lips. "You're probably right. Thanks." She then walked the rest of the way to her cot and laid down. Something inside her told her that Impa is right, that Link was out there, somewhere.

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It has been over week since Link woke up at the ranch. He had spent most of the first few days in bed. Ingo was out on vacation when they brought him here, and wouldn't be back for a few more days, so Link could use his bed without trouble. Once his leg got better, though, he began helping out around the ranch. It was currently night time, and Link was sitting on the 1st-story roof of the house, with Navi sitting on his hat.

"I hope Zelda is ok," mumbled Link.

"Well, since Hyrule has yet to be infested by monsters and darkness, I believe she is just fine," joked Navi.

"But still, as long as Ganondorf holds the Spiritual Stones, how can we stop him?"

"I don't know. We need to think of something. You know where Zelda is hiding, right Link?"

"Yea, but still. What if Ganondorf…," Link stopped suddenly. He thought he saw and heard somebody in the ranch.

"'What if Ganondorf' what?" asked Navi.

"Did you see something just now?" Link whispered.

"No," Navi replied. They listened for a little while, but heard nothing. "It was probably a horse, or a cucco."

"I don't like this. Something tells me we better leave now."

With that the two went inside to grab Link's equipment and to write a note.

It turned out that what Link saw was one of Ganondorf's minions, who was currently hiding around the side of the barn. He couldn't hear what they were saying after Link spotted him, but he decided not to risk getting caught. A little while later, he saw the boy go inside. He then quietly stepped out of the shadows.

"I better tell Lord Ganondorf about this," he muttered as he left the ranch.

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As the sun slowly appeared over the mountains to the East, Link, riding Scarlet, raced towards Kakariko Village. He was wearing a cloak Malon had given him while he stayed at the ranch so that he couldn't be identified.  He couldn't waste anymore time, and left earlier that morning, before the sunrise. As the sunrise ended and the sun rose higher, Link rode across the bridge over the river and towards the nearby tree. He stopped Scarlet and tied her with some rope he "borrowed" from the ranch to keep her from running away (A.N: He doesn't have a song for her, so she could run away for good if he's not careful). After he was satisfied with the knot, he made his way up the stairs and into Kakariko. It wasn't until they were walking through the village that Navi thought of something.

"Link, do you know exactly where in the house they are hiding?" she asked. Link stopped dead in his tracks.

"Uh… oh no," Link said, realizing he didn't know where they would be; not to mention how to make them know he'd arrived.

A sweatdrop formed on the back of Navi head. "You… you're kidding, right?"

"Nope, but I'm sure we'll find them," Link said as he continued up to Impa's house.

~*~15 minutes later~*~

Link and Navi were tired. They searched everywhere they could think of for a passage where Zelda and Impa were hiding. They even tried yelling for them, but Impa and Zelda couldn't hear him.

"This is just great. What are we going to do now?" Link grumbled. He learned back onto the bookshelf, his elbow accidentally pushing one of the books. To his surprise, the book began sliding inward (towards the wall) on its own. Suddenly, Link gave a yelp as he jumped away from the bookshelf, which was now opening inwards (with surprisingly little noise), revealing a passage. It was a spiraling staircase, going down.

(A.N.: Ok, I know this chapter sounds really stupid so far.)

"Link… what just happened?" Navi asked, turning towards her partner.

"I honestly have no idea," Link responded. "I have a feeling they are down there, though." He was about to yell when Navi stopped him.

"Link, wait! We don't know what's down there, we should play it safe," suggested Navi. Link nodded and the two slowly made their way down the stairs. Behind then, they heard the secret door creak back into place.

~*~*~

Impa was finishing making her and Zelda's lunch when she suddenly stopped. She could have sworn she heard something.

"Impa, is everything alright?" asked Zelda.

Impa only gave a gesture for Zelda to keep quiet. She heard a faint tapping sound, gradually getting louder.

"Somebody's coming," Impa said. She quickly grabbed her sword and stood against the wall around the corner of the stairway, waiting for whoever it was to arrive. Zelda stood beside her. Suddenly, the footsteps got louder, and louder, and pretty soon a cloaked figure appeared. As soon as the person stepped off the stairs, Impa immediately knocked him with the blunt side of her sword. The figure dropped to the floor like a pile of bricks. Impa was about to deliver the final blow when Zelda cried out.

"Impa, don't!" she cried.

"Why not?" Impa asked. Zelda didn't reply, she just pointed at something next to Impa. Impa turned around to see a blue light hovering over the now unconscious person in the cloak.

"I remember that fairy, her name it's Navi," explained Zelda. "And that means…" Before Impa could stop her, Zelda rushed to the person's side. She removed that hood, and what they saw gave them both relief and dread.

"Link," Zelda whispered.

~*~*~

Link gave a scream as he awoke. He had that same nightmare again. The one with Zelda and himself in what appeared to be the Temple of Light. As he calmed down, he began to look around his new surroundings. He was in a room that seemed to be underground. There was a lantern lit, illuminating the room. There really wasn't much more than a table and some shelves.

"Finally, you're awake," a familiar voice chimed.

Link turned to the direction of the voice. He was relieved to see it was only Impa. She was sitting at the table drinking something.

"What happened?" asked Link.

"You were knocked unconcious for a few hours. It's mainly my fault. I heard somebody coming down the stairs, and thought you were one of Ganondorf's minions; especially with that cloak."

"That's ok," said Link. "You had no way of knowing it was me. By the way, where's Zelda?"

"Asleep right next to you," responded Impa.

Sure enough, when Link looked to his side, he saw Zelda sleeping on a cot a couple of feet away from him. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. He decided to leave her be, so he got up and sat at the table across from Impa.

"How long have I been out for?"

"I would say a whole day at least," replied Impa.

Suddenly, they heard somebody mumbling. Link and Impa both turned to the cots. Zelda was waking up. Slowly she got up and looked around. As soon as she saw Link, she immediately jumped up.

"Hey Zel-" Link didn't even have time to say hi before Zelda practically tackled him to the ground with a hug.

"Link! You're awake! You're here! You're ok!!!" Zelda was obviously excited to see that her friend was ok. Link blushed a little and slowly returned the hug. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds until, as usual, the mood was broken by a certain someone.

"Ahhh, what a cute scene," Navi chirped. Link and Zelda immediately broke apart. Zelda turned a bright red, and Link gave Navi the usual death glare.

"Anyway, it's nice to see you two again," said Link.

"Same here," replied Impa.

"What happened to you Link?" asked Zelda.

"From what I'm told, I was knocked unconscious when I faced off with Ganondorf. When I woke up, I was at the ranch. Malon told me her father found me and took me and Scarlet to the ranch. My leg was injured, so I had to stay there."

"Is that all?" asked Zelda. 

Link shook his head. "I think Ganondorf has the Spiritual Stones, because I can't find them, and Malon and Talon said they hadn't seen them either.

Zelda and Impa both stared at Link, dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry," said Link, hanging his head.

"No, it's ok. You couldn't do anything more," Zelda said, trying to cheer Link back up. "Besides, he can't do anything without the Ocarina of Time, just like you say."

Link managed a small smile. "Yea, I guess you're right."

"What are we going to do now?" asked Zelda.

"We need to somehow get the Spiritual Stones, but until we figure out a plan, we need to gather up the Sages."

"Well, we have one so far."

"Wait, who are you talking about?" asked Impa, who until then was quietly listening to the conversation. Link and Zelda only looked at her. "…Wait, you don't mean me do you?" Link and Zelda only nodded.

"You're the Sage of Shadow," Navi confirmed. Impa just sat there, speechless. 

"…So, anyways we need to get the Sages, and then…" Link continued his conversation with Zelda.

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Ganondorf was not in a good mood. He had just spent over a week looking for the princess during the day, and even spent the last couple of nights searching, but came up empty. He finally gave up looking himself and sent some of his servants to look instead while he stayed at the castle. Why he didn't do that in the first place, nobody knows.

_'I'm starting to regret killing that boy after all. It would make this whole thing a lot easier.'_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the large doors to the throne room.

"Enter," announced Ganondorf. As commanded, the doors opened and a figure walked in. It was a Hylian knight (emphasis on 'was'). After the main attack, Ganondorf found a few knights left. Instead of killing them, he decided to just put them under his powers and make them work for him.

"M'lord," the knight greeted as he bowed.

"What do you want?"

"Sir, while you were gone, I saw the boy. The one that's supposedly dead."

"…Stop kidding around!" yelled an annoyed Ganondorf.

"Sir, it's true. I saw him one night at the ranch. He had what looked like a blue light with him. I think it was a fairy. From what I saw, it was definitely a boy. I think he was wearing green clothes. I heard snippets of their conversation. They were talking about the princess and the Spiritual Stones and such."

Ganondorf listened to what the possessed knight said. He believed he was telling the truth, since not many others knew what the boy looked like or the fact that he had a fairy.

"You say he was at the ranch, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

Ganondorf grinned evilly. _'I think things just got a lot easier. Soon, I will have the Ocarina of Time and then, the Triforce!!!'_

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Malon was busily brushing one of the horses in the barn. Link had left a couple of days ago, while everybody else was still asleep. He wrote that he felt that something wasn't right, and that he felt she and her father would be safer if he left early. Of course, he took the cloak with him. She wasn't mad though. She probably would've forced him to take it anyway. Things were back to normal, though Malon hoped he was ok, since his leg still isn't healed.

Suddenly, Malon heard the sound of footsteps outside. She was about to go look, but then she remembered what Link told her about the attack on the castle. She decided to stay in the barn. She was about to go look for a hiding place when the door blew open. The explosion surprised her enough to fall. When she got back up, she couldn't see much since dust filled the room. Suddenly, a figure approached her through the cloud of dust. It was without a doubt Ganondorf.

"Where is the boy?" he asked coldly.

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Link ran through Kakariko Village as fast as he could. He was for the most part quiet. The people he ran by, however, more than made up for than his silence. It wasn't him they were screaming about, though. It was the Gerudo female that was chasing him with a couple of dangerous-looking blades. 

(A.N.: Nabooru's blades look pretty much like the curved ones the Gerudo guards wield.)

"I told you that was a stupid idea!" Navi yelled at Link. The 'stupid idea' Navi was referring to happened just a few minutes ago. Link and Navi were having a pretty easy time collecting the sages, mainly since they already remembered Link. Nabooru, however, had yet to meet Link; so she was as stubborn as ever. When Link finally gave up trying to convince her she was a sage, he played the Nocturne of Shadow, and at the last minute grabbed her arm. After they arrived at the graveyard, and Nabooru regained her senses and realized what he had just done (grabbed and kidnapped her in her opinion), she immediately went into a fit. She immediately drew out her swords and slashed at him. Link dodged, hopped off the alcove they were on, and ran. Nabooru followed. And thus, the chase began.

Link and Navi ran (or flew in Navi's case) towards Impa's house. As much as Link wanted to try and calm Nabooru down with force, he knew it wouldn't be wise to attack a sage. Nabooru was right behind them, chanting a Gerudo-warrior cry. They quickly entered the house and slammed the door right in Nabooru's unsuspecting face (ouch!). They knew that wouldn't stop her for long, so they quickly ran to the bookshelf and pushed the book that activated the switch. As soon as the door got far enough open to let them in, Nabooru had succeeded in busting the door open with her foot. Link and Navi immediately ran (and flew) downstairs, Nabboru not far behind. The bookcase automatically closed again soon after she went past.

~*~*~

Zelda and the other 5 sages were quietly waiting for Link to return. Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching, along with a voice.

"…hhhhheeeeeeEELLLPPPPP!!!!!!!!" Link yelled as he ran down the stairs. Impa didn't know what was going on, but she got her sword out anyway. Suddenly, Link practically flew around the corner. He ended up losing his footing on the last couple of steps and fell to the ground. Nabooru appeared not a second later. Her swords were already up. She began to swing the swords down at Link, oblivious to the fact that others were in the room. Before her swords could reach him, they were stopped by another sword. Impa's sword. Nabooru wasn't expecting this, thus, she was temporarily distracted with shock. Impa noticed this and used it to her advantage by thrusting her sword upwards, sending Nabooru's swords flying right out of her hands.

"I really don't want to fight a fellow sage," Impa said as she lowered her sword.

"I'm telling you, I'm no sage!" yelled a still stubborn Nabooru. "You're working for Ganondorf, aren't you?"

"How could you say that!" screamed Impa. "We're out to destroy Ganondorf! And we can't do it without your help!"

Before Nabooru could reply, the whole room began to shake. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped.

"What was that?" asked a startled Link.

"Probably just a qua-," before Impa could finish, the shaking began again, even more powerful than before.

"Ok, that was no quake. Navi, go see what's going on," Link said.

"I'm on it," she replied. She was about to leave when Zelda spoke up.

"Wait, how is she supposed to get out? The door is closed."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Link said, scratching his head. Everyone else sweat-dropped.

So, after Link opened the door, Navi flew out to go see what was going on. She returned about 20 seconds later, silent.

"So, what's up?" asked Link.

"T... there's a fire. It looks like it's coming from the ranch."

Everyone fell silent.

"What!" Link exclaimed. He wasted no time running up the stairs.

"Link, wait!" Zelda called, but he was too distracted to hear.

"Don't bother, he isn't going to listen, trust me," said Saria. "I better go stop him before he-"

"No, I'll go," said Zelda, cutting her off. She then grabbed Link cloak, which he had left. "We can't risk any of you guys getting hurt."

"But we can't risk losing you, either!" Impa yelled, but Zelda was already running up the stairs.

"Those two are not much different from each other, are they?" Saria said, more stating it than asking.

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Link ran through Kakariko Village as fast as he could. His was worried about Talon and Malon. Before he knew it, he was on the bottom of the stairs. Indeed, there was a lot of smoke coming from the direction in which the ranch was located. Link just stood there and stared in disbelief. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, all he saw was a cloaked figure; but he knew who it was anyway.

"What are you doing out here, Zelda?" he asked.

"Making sure you are ok," she replied. Link just sighed and walked to Scarlet, who was tied to the tree. (A.N: She hasn't been there the whole time since Link left the ranch. Sometimes, Link rode her instead of using warp songs)

"I can't believe Ganondorf would do something like this," Link said while untying the horse.

"You think Ganondorf did this?" asked Zelda, who had followed him.

"There's no other explanation. Those quakes were probably caused by explosions, especially since there were only a couple of them. If it was a real quake, there would have been more," explained Link. He finished untying Scarlet, then climbed on top of her. "So, are you coming?" he asked Zelda.

"Sure," she replied. Link helped her climb on behind him. After she got a good grip on his tunic, they set off to the ranch. After riding for about 15 minutes, they arrived at the ranch. There wasn't much of a fire left, since most of the flammable stuff were either already burned or obliterated.

"Strange, nobody's here," Link said.

"I think they believe that it would be wise to stay away from a tragic event, especially with all that's going on."

As they reached the entrance of the ranch, Link noticed something brown on the ground. It was the sign that usually stood over the entrance. Upon closer inspection, Link noticed something on it. Link stopped Scarlet and dismounted.

"Link, what are you doing?" asked Zelda. Link didn't reply, he just continued walking to the sign. When he reached it, he saw what it was that was attached to it. A piece of paper. Link took it off the sign and look at it. There was a note written on it in messy handwriting, but Link managed to read it anyway.

_*I know you're still alive kid. The girl and her dad are with me, unharmed. If you want to keep it that way, bring me the princess and the Ocarina of Time to the castle. I'll be waiting.*_

"Link, are you ok?" asked Zelda, who rode Scarlet to check up on him.

"I'm fine," he replied. He then got back on Scarlet. "Come on, we've got no time to lose." He immediately kicked Scarlet into a run.

"What was that you were reading?" asked Zelda.

"A ransom note from Ganondorf himself. He has Malon and Talon captured, and wants you and the Ocarina of Time in exchange."

"Does that mean they're ok?"

"Yep, but something tells me that they won't stay like that for long."

"Do you have a plan?"

"You bet. We are going to give Ganondorf what he wants..."

"What!" Zelda exclaimed, shocked at his answer.

"We're going to give him what he wants; temporarily."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, you'll see," Link assured her. Zelda, though, still wasn't sure about this plan.

"Link."

"Yes?"

"If Ganondorf does anything to me, you do know it'll be your head, literally."

"Well, there goes that plan," Link joked. Zelda just glared at him. They traveled the rest of the trip in silence.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ME: Oh man. This is incredible.

Link: What is?

ME: Not counting the author notes and key, this chapter came out to exactly 4,152 words. That's almost 1,500 words longer than last chapter (which was the longest up till now).

Link: Wow. I guess you really are getting better.

Zelda: I agree.

ME: Thanks guys. One announcement: This fic is almost over! There are only a few more chapters left. Next chapter will be a little on the short side, but the two after that will be really long. Then another short chapter. Finally, the epilogue.

Link: What's going to happen in those chapters?

ME: You'll just have to wait and find out. Until next time-

*Stay cool and see ya later!*

ME: It's good to be back! ^_^

*TimeSage*


	9. The Rescue Part 1

ME: Well, here's chapter 8 of my story. I've edited the Prologue-Chap. 7 so that the story looks the same. I'm too tired to think of a long authors note, so let's just get started.

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The Legend of Zelda: Save The Past**

Chapter 8: The Rescue – Part 1

Link and Zelda walked down the road that led to the castle. Link was wearing his usual green tunic. Zelda was wearing a light purple dress that went down to her ankles and had long white sleeves. She also pulled her hair into a bun, which was hidden under her headpiece. Overall, she didn't look much different than when Link first met her.

After a short time, they arrived at the gate to the castle. Two guards were standing on either side of the gate. Both Link and Zelda felt bad vibes from the guards. They were dressed in all black, and their eyes were hidden behind a shadow made by their helmets. When they looked down, however, their eyes became visible. They glowed a bright red, and seemed almost demon-like. Link and Zelda both gulped.

"We're here to make a trade with Ganondorf," announced Link. Immediately the guards sprang to attention. Ganondorf told them to wait for

As the first guard led the two children to the castle, the second one closed the gate. As he took his place by the door, he heard a sound from the cliff. He looked up, and didn't see anything. Now, Ganondorf must've shrunken their I.Q. or something, because the guard didn't even investigate the matter before deciding to forget about it.

Meanwhile, on the cliff, a cloaked figure pressed his/ herself against the wall. After about a minute it relaxed. Suddenly, a ball of light flew from under the hood and in front of the figure.

"Stupid twigs," the figure muttered.

"Sounds strange coming from someone who lived her whole life in the forest," the fairy cracked.

"Shut up, Sky."

While the two argued, a second fairy flew in between them.

"Sky! Saria! Stop arguing! We have to hurry before we get too far behind Link and Zelda."

"You're right," muttered the cloaked figure, revealed as Saria. She then looked out at Link and Zelda, who were nearing the castle with the guard. "Strange, besides the guard leading them and the one at the gate, there's nobody here."

"You think Ganondorf would be _*that* stupid?" asked Navi._

"I believe so. Come on, we have to hurry."

With that, the three carefully walked across the gate to the other side, making sure the guard didn't hear or see them. Luckily, he seemed to have inherited some of Ganondorf's stupidity, because he didn't move a muscle. Finally, they reached the other side, from where they could see Link and Zelda were entering the castle with the guard. Upon inspection, Saria noticed nobody was guarding the castle.

_'This is *way* too easy,' Saria thought as she quickly entered the castle._

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_'This is *way* too easy,' thought Link as he and Zelda were led through the castle. They also noticed the lack of guards outside. What really surprised him was that nobody was inside, either._

As they climbed the stairs, Link wondered what's Ganondorf was thinking. What if they underestimated him? What if it turned out that all the missing guards were in the throne room, waiting to kill them as soon as the doors opened. An uncertain look spread across his face. He may have been an adult at one time, but he still was a kid at heart. Suddenly, he heard a whisper.

"Don't be scared."

Link turned to his side and say Zelda looking back at him.

"Everything will be okay," she whispered softly so that the guard wouldn't hear.

"But what if something goes wrong?" Link whispered back, the look on his face never changing. "There's a good chance Ganondorf knew we're planning something, and set up a trap."

"Don't worry about that. Just concentrate on your plan," she responded. "We can, and will, beat him. I know we will."

Link let a small smile cross his face. She was right. They needed to succeed, now.

Suddenly, the guard stopped. Link and Zelda turned back forward to see what was happening. That when they noticed the two large doors in front of them. They had arrived.

The guard knocked on the door. A booming voice suddenly filled the hall.

"Enter!"

Link and Zelda both recognized the voice immediately.

Ganondorf.

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Saria carefully climbed the stairs, making sure that she didn't make too much noise. Finally, when she felt like she couldn't another step, she heard a light tapping up ahead, immediately followed by a booming voiced that shook the hall.

_'I must be close.'_

She slowly tiptoed up the last few steps and stopped at the top. In front of her were the doors to the throne room, one of them closed, the other opened widely. She quickly hid behind the closed door.

"Navi, go tell me when the coast is clear."

"Got it," the fairy replied as she flew out of cloak. She then dimmed her light and flew around the corner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ME: I'm cutting this chapter short. Sorry, but I'm too tired to continue. I'll post the 2nd half of 'The Rescue' as soon as I get more time. 

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*


	10. The Rescue Part 2

3/31/03

ME: Happy Holidays everybody. Here's the next chapter of Save the Past. I don't want you to keep waiting, plus I got a complaint of the length (and style[?]) of these author notes, so I'll just start ranting later.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Legend of Zelda. It's pretty obvious since I'm writing this disclaimer instead of swimming in a pool full of money.

Key

"blah" = speech

_'italics' = thought_

_"*italics*" = exaggeration _

-------- = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The Legend of Zelda: Save The Past**

Chapter 9: The Rescue - Part 2

Link and Zelda did not make a sound as they walked into the throne room. The only noise was that of the clanking of the guard's armor as he led them to the center of the room. There, sitting in the throne in the back of the room, was Ganondorf. An evil smirk was spread across his face. It gave the two kids the shivers just looking at him.

_'Heh, this is almost too easy,' thought Ganondorf as the trio stopped in the center of the room. The guard then stepped aside, leaving nothing between our heroes and the king of evil. He then got off his throne and spoke._

"Welcome, young friends," he greeted. Link and Zelda both scoffed at his remark. What made him think they saw him as even an acquaintance?

"Where's Malon?" Link asked as politely as he could. In reality, he just wanted to take his sword and shove it down Ganondorf's throat, but he knew that wouldn't be smart.

For one thing, Ganondorf was twice his height.

"Ah, you want to see you friends?"

Link only glared at Ganondorf, who saw the whole situation as rather amusing.

"Ok then." Ganondorf then turned around and held his arms out. The guard held a staff in front of Link and Zelda, apparently to prevent them from attacking Ganondorf with his back turned. He stayed relatively beside them, though. That was ok with Link. Now wasn't the time to make their move anyway. He held his arm back and made a movement signaling anybody behind them to enter.

~*~*~

"Saria, now," Navi whispered. Immediately Saria bolted through the doorway and behind a nearby statue. She prayed that nobody saw her.

"Guys!" Sky whispered loudly. Saria had sent her out after Navi to look for the Spiritual Stones. "I found them."

"Are you sure?" asked Saria.

"Yes. I can sense the power of the Kokiri Emerald coming from a bag on top of a table near Ganondorf."

Before she could continue, the trio noticed the room began to glow a soft pink color. Saria carefully peeked around the statue and gasped.

~*~*~

Link and Zelda both stared wide-eyed as they saw something appear through the wall. Link recognized it immediately. It was the same kind of crystal Ganondorf sealed Zelda in during the alternate timeline. Malon and Talon were both inside the crystal unconscious. Ganondorf lowered the crystal onto the ground and had it disappear, dumping the two ranchers onto the ground. It was then that Link and Zelda saw the two glowing rings around the father's and daughter's necks.

"As you see, your friends are safe. Now, let's get back to business," said Ganondorf as he turned back to the two kids. Zelda, who got a weird feeling down her spine after seeing the crystal Ganondorf made, just stared at the two unconscious farmers. Link glared at Ganondorf for a second before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure.

"What are those around their necks?" asked Zelda, who spoke for the first time since they entered the throne room.

"Ah, my dear Zelda. Let's just call them 'insurance'. If you try to fool me in any way, one little motion of my wrist, and their windpipes will collapse."

"You monster…" growled Link. Ganondorf ignored him.

"Now, shall we start?"

"Fine, we'll make a trade. Just so we're both sure we don't fool each other, we'll do it one at a time."

"Ok by me," said Ganondorf. He was confident that the boy wouldn't try anything now that the fate of his friends hung in the balance.

Oh how wrong he was.

"I'll first take the Ocarina, and will trade you the man in return."

"Fine," said Link. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He waited as Ganon floated Talon to the two children. Once the adult was safely on the ground, Link laid the ocarina on the ground and slid it to Ganondorf. The king of evil stopped it with his foot and picked it up. Immediately, he could feel the power coursing through it. It was without a doubt the real one. Smiling to himself, he placed it on the table next to him. (The same one with the bag.)

"Now for the final trade," said Ganondorf. He didn't need to say what the two subjects were going to be, Link already knew.

Malon and Zelda.

Zelda's fear grew worse after Ganondorf said those 5 words. This was the moment she feared the most. Her body began to shake slightly, and she could barely keep her head up.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned towards Link, who was giving her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you as long as I can help it," whispered Link. Zelda immediately felt most of her worries go away. She gave him a small smile and then turned back to Ganondorf, who already had Malon in the air.

"We'll send them at the same time," said Ganondorf.

"How do I know you won't just take Malon as soon as Zelda reaches you?" asked Link.

"Please kid. I have no use for your little friend here. Now, I'll give the princess till the count of three to start walking. One…"

Zelda gulped. What if Ganondorf won? What will happen to Hyrule to Hyrule? To her? To…Link?

"Two…"

No! She had to do this. If she didn't, then the consequences would be worse. Besides, she had to trust Link and his plan.

"Thr…" Ganondorf started, but stopped when he saw the princess walking towards him. _'Perfect.'_

As Zelda walked towards Ganondorf, she kept her face to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Overhead, Malon's unconscious form slowly floated the other way. With each step, Zelda's heart beat grew faster and faster. Before she knew it, she felt herself pulled violently and heard the crackle of Ganondorf's laugh.

"Hahaha! You are a fool boy! Thanks to you, the world shall be mine!" Ganondorf roared as he laughed in triumph. He didn't pay attention to Link, thus he didn't notice him reach into one of his pockets.

"Oh my! What an idiot I am!" Link sarcastically said as he stomped his foot. What Ganondorf didn't know was that stomp had a purpose.

~*~*~

"Saria, the signal!" yelled Sky as she and Navi flew back around the statue and covered their eyes with their hands. Saria did the same.

~*~*~

Zelda watched as Link gave his sarcastic speech and stomped the ground.

_'This is it,' she thought as she covered her eyes with her free hand._

Ganondorf barely saw Zelda close her eyes. Before he knew what was happening, Link pulled his hand out of his pocket and threw a bunch of little… things as he covered his eyes with his free hand. As soon as they hit the ground, the little objects identified themselves… Deku Nuts!

"GAAHH!!!" screamed Ganondorf and the guard as the blinding light filled the room and burned their eyes. A couple of seconds passed and the light disappeared, but they were unable to see.

Zelda opened her eyes and noticed Ganondorf rubbing his eyes with his free hand. _'It worked!' she cheered to herself. She wasted not time and pulled a dagger out of a hidden pocket in her dress. She quickly stabbed an exposed area on Ganondorf's arm as far as she could. Ganondorf yelled in pain as he released his grip on her hand, and Zelda pulled the dagger out. She may need it later. Now free, she ran over to Malon and Talon, while Link did his own part._

~*~At the same time~*~

Link opened his eyes after the Deku Nuts went off. He was glad to see Ganondorf and the guard clutching their eyes in pain. He wasted no time as he pulled out his boomerang and turned to the guard. One quick throw at the face, and the guard was on the ground unconscious. As soon as he turned around he saw Zelda stab Ganondorf's arm and get her arm free. He knew she would be safe, so he took off to the table.

~*~Same time still~*~

The light dimmed as Saria and the two fairies opened their eyes. She peeked around the corner, and saw Link and Zelda doing their initial attacks on the bad guys.

_"All right, he did it! I better hurry.'_

Saria rushed to the table. As soon as she reached it, she saw Link finishing up his task.

"I guess you can actually do things right, Link," she said sarcastically. Link just stuck his tongue at her and ran back to Zelda and the others, who were now accompanied with the two fairies.

_'Great, now all we need is for Saria to finish,' thought Link as he kneeled next to Zelda._

"You ok?" he asked her, pulling Nayru's Wind out of his pocket.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I can't get these off though. Maybe Impa can," she said pointing to the rings still around Malon's and Talon's necks.

"Ok, let's go," Saria said running up to them, the hood of the cloak off her head due to how hot she was getting wearing it. Link then threw down Nayru's wind, and the group disappeared just as Ganondorf's vision began to return.

_'Shit! Where did he go?!' Ganondorf thought frantically as he looked around the room. The kids were gone, and his guard was unconscious on the ground. He looked at the table, fearing they had taken the sacred items. But the bag and ocarina were still there. _'Those fools!___ They left the ocarina and stones?!'_

Ganondorf grinned as he hurried to the table. He immediately roared in triumph and picked up the bag. That's when he noticed something wrong.

_'Wait a minute, this used to be heavier.' He thought as he opened the bag. He yelled in anger as he saw the contents in the bag._

Rupees. One red, one blue, and one green, as if to toy with him. He threw the bag out the window.

Ganondorf then turned his attention to the ocarina. He grabbed it and held it in his hand.

Nothing. No power, no feelings, nothing. Ganondorf crushed the instrument in his hand and saw what it was made of: wood.

"Fuck you kid! I warned you what would happen if you crossed me!" he yelled as he held out his hand, palm facing up. Then, he quickly closed it. Usually, he would've felt a slight resistance, symbolizing the crushing of the windpipes. However, he didn't feel that this time.

"NO! IT CAN'T BE!!!"

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"Whew, that was a close one," sighed Impa as she pulled back her hands from Malon's unconscious form. Zelda was correct in thinking that Impa had a few Sheiken tricks up her sleeves. She knew the rings as a strong, ancient magic. Growing up with an ancient race, she luckily knew how to dispel it. And not a second too soon. As she was dispelling the ring around Malon, since Talon was already ok, she felt the presence of Ganondorf about to finish the job. She barely got rid of the ring in time.

"So they're going to be ok?" asked Saria, who was standing next to Impa, no longer in the cloak.

"Yep. They'll be out for a little while more, though." Impa then turned around towards the alter. Link was quickly placing the jewels in the slots, while Zelda pulled out the Ocarina of Time. The other 3 sages were standing around the room. Finally, the last jewel was in place.

"Ok Zelda," Link said giving her a thumb up. Soon afterwards, the hall was filled with music as Zelda played the Song of Time. Each note flowed from the instrument as if it was coming from the Goddesses themselves. As she lost herself in the music, the Door of Time noisily slid open, revealing the chamber with the Master Sword.

The Sages all admired the chamber as they entered. The platform in the center of the room was made of smooth marble. It was two steps high, the center which held the Master Sword and a lower ring surrounding it. Symbols of the 6 sages were engraved in the outer ring.

Finally, Zelda played the final notes of the Song. Opening her eyes, she saw Link standing in front of her.

"That was really good," he said. Zelda smiled a little.

"It wasn't all that special," she replied. "You probably could do just as good."

"No way, I'd just butcher it, like most other songs. Just ask Saria." The two chuckled a little. They just stood there for a couple of moments, but felt like forever to them. They just stared at each other. Suddenly, the mood was broken by the crash of lighting that sent a shiver down both their spines. Zelda gave Link a worried look.

"Ganondorf?"

"No doubt. We've got to get going." Link then grabbed Zelda's hand and lead her into the sword chamber. The sages were all on their respective symbols. Malon, who was carried by Impa, and Talon, who Darunia carried, were lying near the center.

Link and Zelda stopped in the centermost ring, next to the sword. Link clutched the sword, but seemed to think for a second. Then, he signaled Zelda to take a hold too. She at first hesitated, but slowly reached out and held the remaining handle under Link's hands.

"On the count of three," Link said to Zelda. "One… two…"

"THREE!" They yelled together as the sword slid out of the stone platform. Immediately, a strong gust of wind blew upward as they whole platform (including the outer ring) was surrounded by a bright, blue light. Suddenly, everything went white, then black.

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As he rode towards the Temple of Time, Ganondorf yelled so many curses under his breath that this story's rating would definitely jump to R. He couldn't believe a couple of kids outsmarted him! When he found that boy, he would make sure he suffered for what he did to him.

"What the…" he mumbled when he noticed a beam of light appeared in the sky. Suddenly, a vortex appeared over the temple, at the end of the beam.

"NO! They beat me to it. But…" Ganondorf thought as he walked into the temple. As expected, it was empty. However, the Door of Time was open, as was the path to the Sacred Realm. "Those kids saved me a lot of trouble. Boy, you will die!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ME: Finally, another chapter done. A few weeks ago marked the 1 year anniversary for this story! 1 year- 10 chapters. It's been fun.

Link: Maybe for you.

ME: Oh yea. You've had one heck of a year for a 10 year old. Well, nobody said life was easy. Anyway, sad as it may be, Save the Past is almost over. But we're in the beginning of one of the biggest arcs of the story.

Zelda: What do you mean?

ME: Remember a while ago, when I said that this story will go into a place never before visited. At least not in the game.

Zelda: Yea, and…. Oh I get it!

Link: I don't. What are you talking about?

ME: You'll see next chapter, Link.

Link: And with your current writing style, that means 3 months correct.

ME: Remind me to hurt you later. ¬_¬

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*

P.S.: Just to clear up some things: Link and Saria switched the Spiritual Stones and Ocarina of Time. The reason they both did it was so if something happened to one of them, the other could still prevent Ganondorf from conquering the world (remember- without one item, the other is useless).


	11. The Chamber of Sages

6/22/03

ME: *sigh* What a crazy couple of months. I almost completely forgot about my stories. @_@ Finals, summer school, confirmation at church… -_-; ß(tired)  Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda. …yea. -_-;

Key

"blah" = dialogue     

'italics' = thoughts

"*italics*" = exaggeration

------ = scene change

~*~*~ = time/ p.o.v. change (3rd person perspective)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The Legend of Zelda: Save the Past**

Chapter 10: The Chamber of Sages

_'Ugh, my head…'_ Malon slowly opened her eyes. Her head was spinning, and she had a hard time focusing. She managed to push herself into a sitting position. Finally, her eyes opened all the way, and gasped at what laid before her.

The room literally was glowing a soft blue. Even the platform she was sitting on was blue. It was as if she was sitting on light. All around the room, there were floating platforms and paths similar to the one she was on. She just sat there, taking in the scenery. She didn't even notice her company standing not too far from her. That is, until they spoke.

"So, you're finally awake?" a voice asked. Malon turned towards the voice and froze.

Standing not too far from her was a young girl, around her age. However, this stranger was obviously the opposite of herself. She was wearing an elegant purple dress made of silk. Upon her head, she wore a beautiful headdress. And her face practically radiated gracefulness. It was obvious that this wasn't any ordinary person.

"Hello?" the girl asked again. "Are you ok?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Malon apologized, still a little dazed.

"You were out for a pretty long time. I was beginning to think that something went wrong."

"Er, what do you mean? In fact, who are you?"

"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Zelda." A warm smile spread across her face in greetings.

Malon's face immediately paled again. There was only one 'Zelda' that she knew of in all of Hyrule.

"You mean, you're the princess?" she squeaked. Zelda nodded, the smile still on her face. Malon quickly dropped her head in a mix of shame and embarrassment. She just practically insulted the princess of Hyrule, in a way. She began to talk in a rapid-fire style, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. Please forgive me…"

The sound of giggling made her stop. Her gaze slowly began to towards the source, which happened to be Zelda. She was obviously fighting the urge to laugh, but was quickly losing the fight. Finally, she calmed down enough to speak.

"You don't need to act like that," Zelda assured with a grin. "In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't. I know what you may think, and I'm not the kind of person that others say I am."

"What do you mean?" Malon said, trying to act oblivious. However, she knew all too well what Zelda was talking about.

"Don't think I don't know. I used to like to go play in Hyrule Castle Town when I was younger. I always had to wear plain clothes so people wouldn't recognize me. Also, I was always escorted and watched by my caretaker, Impa. I didn't mind though. It was great until about a year ago. I was walking around the main area when I heard a couple of older boys talking about me. I decided to listen, and was horrified at what I heard."

Zelda hesitated for a second before continuing. The expression on her face began to fall. "A lot of people thought I was stuck up and had people arrested and placed into the dungeon whenever I felt like it. They said I had guards harm the servants whenever they made even the slightest mistake. I never returned to town after that day. 'An evil, stuck up, spoiled brat.' That's what everybody thought I was."

"I'm sorry. I just… no, there is no excuse for my actions," Malon apologized.

"Really, it's ok. I mean, I don't know many people outside the castle, so I guess I shouldn't be surprise about the reactions I may get."

"… I just thought of something. Why are you telling me all this?" Malon asked.

"Because you're a friend of Link, are you not?" Zelda remarked. This triggered a thought that Malon completely forgot about.

"Do you know where he is? And where in Hyrule are we?"

Zelda hesitated from responding to both of Malon's questions. _'I don't think I should tell her the truth. However, it's pretty obvious that we aren't in any ordinary place. And she's already involved in this whole war, so what's there to lose.'_

"You may not believe me, but we are inside the sacred realm. Actually, the Chamber of Sages to be more specific," Zelda responded. Malon froze into a shock state. "And Link… is over there." Zelda said while pointing behind her. Over there was a path that led to a large platform above them. "That's the platform where the sages are, too."

"What about my dad?"

"On another platform, sleeping. However, his doesn't connect to the sage's platform. "

"It doesn't matter. If he's asleep, he won't be waking up anytime soon," a grinning Malon remarked. Zelda giggled a little. "But why does mine connect to it?"

"Because, unfortunately, you are as involved with this whole thing as the rest of us. You already know all about Link's adventures through time, the sages, and of course, Ganondorf. Thus we felt that there was no use in keeping you away when you know about everything anyways."

Malon understood. However, one question still poked in the back of her mind. "Princess…"

"Please, just call me Zelda."

"…Zelda, why didn't fairy-boy come down with you? And why were my father and me placed on these platforms?"

_'Wow, she sure is full of questions. Don't blame her, though.'_ "Link is still asleep. Actually, the sages have been doing something with him since I woke up. He was hovering and glowing in the air. But the sages wouldn't tell me what they were doing. Most of them were focusing and couldn't hear me, except Impa. But all she said was 'You'll see'. She then said you were down here, and to wait for you to wake up. As for why you weren't on the platform, I don't know. I guess they thought it would be better for you to wake up away from all of them. That way, you could get used to things beforehand."

Malon pondered this for a second. "Hmm, I guess you have a point. Um, can I go up?" she asked nervously.

"I don't see why not," Zelda responded excitedly. "Come on, let's go. Watch your step though."

Carefully, the two girls made their way up the twisty path. During the trip, however, a thought came to Zelda.

"Malon, did you just call Link 'fairy-boy'?"

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Darkness. No matter where Link turned, it was dark. He was nowhere.

"Where, where am I? What's going on?!"

Link began to run, but couldn't tell where he was going. In fact, he wasn't sure if he even was going anywhere.

"Where is everybody?!!" Link yelled.

Silence.

Defeated, he fell to his knees. Slowly, he began to wonder.

'Is this a dream? If it is, then why can't I wake up? Are the others ok? What if Ganondorf…'

Suddenly, he felt a soft breeze blow past him. He snapped out of his trance and looked around. Through the darkness, a voice filled the area.

"Do you really think you can defeat him?" a deep voice asked.

"Who's there?" Link yelled.

"Look at you. Dragged into this little game. Do you really believe a kid like you could defeat Ganon?"

"Shut up! Show yourself you coward!"

"As you wish." Suddenly, a figure began to approach though the darkness. Link turned to the figure and reached for his sword, only to find it missing. In fact, all his weapons were gone.

"What the…" he gasped. All his stuff was gone. Deciding to try his luck with his own fists, he got into a fighting stance and prepared to attack. However, when the figure was close enough for Link to see what he looked like, he practically lost his balance in shock.

He was looking at a perfect copy of himself as an adult (17).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's going on?" asked Zelda. She and Malon arrived only to see the sages watching Link, who was lying on the ground in the middle. Well, everybody except Nabooru, who had her eyes closed and seemed to be thinking about something.

"We kind of hit a slight… _*snag*_," replied Impa.

"What do you mean? What were you guys doing in the first place?!"

"Link…has hidden powers," said Saria. "He never knew about them, even in the alternate timeline. We were trying to awaken them, but…"

"What happened?"

This time, Rauru spoke up. "We don't know what happened. Things were going normal, then all of a sudden, we seemed to run into some sort of wall."

"Couldn't you do anything?" Malon, who was quiet up till now, asked worriedly.

"No, unfortunately. We tried everything, but nothing worked," explained Ruto. "We think it's some sort of magic. Really, really strong magic."

"Ganondorf?" asked Zelda.

"Maybe-" Impa started, but was cut off.

"I don't think so," said Nabooru. "Even if Ganondorf is evil and strong, there's no way any Gerudo could perform a spell like that without touching the person. Besides, he has plenty of spells that could've killed him by now."

"I guess so," said Impa. Nabooru then brought up another interesting point.

"Besides, when we encountered the 'wall', did you guys feel an evil aura?" The rest of the sages shook their heads. "Neither did I. Something tells me this interference wasn't caused by somebody who wants to stop us."

"Then who is it? And if they want to help, why did they stop us?"

"I don't know, but I do know that there's a chance they didn't really stop us from helping him. You guys said yourself we were _*trying*_ to awaken the powers. But what if we couldn't do it at all? What if we were the ones who would've been interfering?"

This made everybody rethink the current situation.

"If what your saying is true," reasoned Malon, "then that must mean…"

Zelda looked at Link worriedly, and finished Malon's statement. "This is something that he must deal with… alone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

ME: In all honesty, this chapter is VERY different than what I was planning just a week ago. In fact, the whole 'Link fighting with image of himself' scene came to me while I was writing.

Zelda: Link…

Malon: Fairy-boy…

ME: *sigh* Looks like this story's converting back to the shoujo-style*** from the first couple of chapters. This chapter was originally going to be longer and start the final leg of the adventure, but since I've slacked off so long I decided just to leave it here and upload it sooner rather than later. Stay tuned for the next update (whenever that is ¬_¬;)

*Stay cool and see ya later*

*TimeSage*

*** = In Japan, the term 'shoujo manga' means 'girl-comic'. These are the type of anime/manga that focus more on life than action, and they're sometimes drawn in a really cutesy-style. Examples of shoujo anime include: Card Captor Sakura, Love Hina, and others of similar nature. However, many males are known to read/watch them since they usually are funnier and focus more on a suspenseful plot than the 'boy-comics'.


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